Connector-stand.



F. J. RAVLIN & J. LOFGREN.

CONNECTOR STAND.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.31,1918.

Patented May 12, 1914.

FREDERICK J. RAVLIN AND JOHN LOFGREN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONNECTOR-STAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1914.

Application filed January 31, 1913. Serial No. 745,366.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERICK J. RAV- LIN and JOHN Lorennn, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Chicago, -1n the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inConnector-Stands, of which the following is a specification.

In locomotive round houses, wlnch are ordinarily dark, it is commonpractice to provide portable electric lights for the wipers or enginecleaners, and for the mechanics who may be making repairs oradjustments. These portable lights consist of electric lamp bulbsusually protected by wire netting, the lights being supplied withcurrent through a flexible lamp cord having a screw plug at the endadapted to screw into a lamp socket fastened to the wall or ceiling. Itfrequently happens that the wiper or the mechanic will leave the lampwith cord attached in some recess in the locomotive and go away andforget it and when the engineer comes to back out his engine some partof the connection becomes damaged or destroyed.

The object of our invention is to provide apparatus whereby such damagemay be avoided.

\Ve accomplish our object by the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the completeapparatus partly .in central section. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.Fig. 3 is a central vertical section of the upper portion of a modifiedform of the apparatus, and Fig. 4 isa topplan view of the modificationshown in Fig. 3.

Similar referencecharacters denote like parts in the different views.

Referring first to the form shown in Figs. land 2, the base 1, securedordinarily to the floor, has a tubular standard 2 rising therefrom, nearthe top of which is rigidly secured a collar 3. This collar forms abearing for a rotatable plate 4 which is preferably circular in outline,as shown. At variouspoints on the periphery of said plate are sockets 5adapted to receive push plugs 6. Said plugs have cords 7 extendingtherefrom to the portable lamps 8. Plugs 6 are electrically connected tothe source of supply through conductors 10, and the construction is suchthat the lamps will be energized or deenergized by merely pushing theplugs straight into the sockets or withdrawing them. The conductors 10are led to and form part of the cable 11, which is located in thestandard 2 and leads to a suitable source of electric supply. Cable 11is flexible and, therefore, the table 4 may be rotated many turns ineither direction without damaging it.

In operation, suppose the apparatus is in use in a round house; therepairer or engine cleaner procures a lamp and cord and connects up bypushing the plug into any one of the sockets which may be vacant. Hethen leads the flexible lamp cord into the cab or wherever he may beworking. It now the repairer or cleaner forgets to reremove the lamp andthe engineer subsequently .backs out the locomotive without noticing thelamp the strain of the lamp cord will first rotate the table to suchposition that the line of tension will coincide with the line ofretraction of the plug from the socket. In other words, when the lampcord has become taut it will first rotate the connected plug and socketaround so as to be in line with the line of pull before the strain isgreat enough to break anything, consequently the plug will leave thesocket and prevent any damage being done.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the table may rotate many turns inone direction without damaging the cable 11, and this form is ordinarilysufficient, for on the average the table will be rotated as frequentlyin one direction as in the other and the movements in one direction willabout offset the movements in the other direction. However, in the formshown in Figs. 3 and 4 the table may rotate any number of turns in thesame direction without damage. In this form the conductors 10 areelectrically connected to two rings 12 and 13, the central apertureswhereof are located over the center of the standard 2. These rings areelectrically insulated from the table and from each other and areengaged by connector arms 14 and 15 respectively. These connector armsare supported upon an insulating ring 16 within t e standard and areenergized through a cable 17 which leads down through the standard as inthe other form of apparatus. The form of table is immaterial and in Fig.4 it is shown to have a plurality of laterally projecting integral armsinstead of the circular outline shown in Fig. 2

Obviously the apparatus is applicable "to other locations than roundhouses, for example, it is common practice in, machine shop-s and othermanufactories to use portable lamps for lighting up the work in hand,and a working strain is frequently placedextension cords may all bereadily disconnected and put away. At-the same time, if preferred, thelamps and their cordswhen not in' use may be placed upon the table,where they will be easily accessible and yet be out of harms way.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is '1. The combination of a hollow-stationarystandard, a rotary member mounted at the top thereof and adapted torotate about an axis coincident with the axis oisaid standard, aplurality of p-ush-and-pull sockets mounted upon said rotary member,conductor rings connected to said conductors, said rings beingconcentric with said rotary member, a. cable leading up through saidupright member, and connector arms connected to said cable and adaptedto engage the respective rings.

2. A connector stand comprising a hollow stationary upright standard, atable mounted thereon, push-and-pull sockets on said table, andconductors passing up through said standard and leading to said-sockets,said table being rotatable in a horizontal plane. e

3. A connector stand for round houses and the like comprisinga hollowstationary upright standard, a table mounted at the top thereof, pullsockets on said. table, conductors passing up through said standard andelectrically connected to said sockets,

a push plug adapted to enter any-one of said sockets, and an extensionlamp cord connected to said plug, said table being rotatable in ahorizontal plane whereby,-when a strain is exerted upon the cord, thetable will automatically rotate and bring the median line of the socketand plug into coincidence with the line of the strained cord and therebyfacilitate the release of the plug.

In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names ln-the presenceof two 1 witnesses.

FREDERICK J i RAVLIN. JOHN LQFGREN.

l/Vitnesses THOMAS N. LoreREN, ERNST FREDMAN.

